Introducing Haakon Pedersen & Elisabeth Berg

Melodifestivalen 1989 5th place...

Classic camp!

3 pontos!

Ficamos tão perto, tão perto! Só nos faltaram 4 pontos para chegarmos à final!

Parabéns Sabrina pela excelente performance e pelo resultado espectacular.
Espero que a RTP abra os olhos e aposte a sério no Festival da Canção do próximo ano!

Congratulations Serbia!

Congratulations Marija Šerifović

2007 Eurovision Winner: Molitva.

Music by: Vladimir Graić

Lyrics by: Saša Milošević Mare

Backing singers: Ivana Selakov, Ksenija Milošević, Ana Milenković, Sanja Bogosavljević and Suzana Dinić

The 2007 final

This year will go down in Eurovision history has one of the best contests ever. There were many different styles of music, original stage presentations and almost perfect vocal performances. The postcards were funny and we even had Santa Klaus to open the voting and deliver the prize!!!

1. Bosnia & Herzegovina: Gentel song with a soft performance. Good voice, awfull dress.
2. Spain: Happy latin song, nice boyband performance but week voices.
3. Belarus: What a sexy and magical performance...
4. Ireland: I always this women could not sing and tonight was no surprise - worse performance of the night. A deserved last place!
5. Finland: Powerfull performance from Hanna. Beautifull warm voice.
6. FYR Macedonia: No doubt Karolina can sing, but the song was not that great.
7. Slovenia: I always had my personal doubts about this one. Alenka was good but the song was not all that good.
8. Hungary: Emotional performance from Magdi.
9. Lithuania: Simple but effective stage presentention. To quiet for Eurovision.
10. Greece: Barbara Dex Award? Week performance.
11. Georgia: I like to hear this on the cd but live it's a bit of a mess.
12. Sweden: Glamourous performance of a glam rock song.
13. France: My biggest dissapointment of the nigh. Average vocals, nice pink clothes! Love the cat.
14. Latvia: Romantic song, romantic performance, but jeans and top hat dont really mix together.
15. Russia: This song really surprised my tonight. Good pop song and sexy performance from Serebro.
16. Germany: I love this song. The english part was a bit unnecessary. Roger really has some good swing.
17. Serbia: I tought this couldn't get any better but Marija gave it even more and this was trully a winning performance. Best winner of the last 10 years?
18. Ukraine: TANZEN! Mad performance from the a true ESC Diva Verka Serduchka.
19. U.K.: Good performance from a somewhat old fashioned song.
20. Romenia: They did the best they could with this week song.
21. Bulgaria: Much better them in the semifinal. Very contemporary song.
22. Turkey: This really made europe shake! Strong performance with a nice choreography.
23. Armenia: I didn't like this live. Hayko was a bit nervous. Original three and the details of the blood from the singers heart.
24. Moldova: Much better then in the semi.

Serbia is the first country to win in it's first attempt. This is also the first time since 1998 that a song in a language that was not english won Eurovision. And the first ballad to win since 1996.

Top 5 prediction

Winner: Ukraine - Verka Serduchka - Dancing lasha tumbai

2nd place: Serbia - Marija Serifovic - Molitva

3rd place: Belarus - Koldun - Work your magic

4th place: Slovenia - Alenka Gotar - Cvet z juga

5th place: Latvia - Bonaparti.lv - Questa notte

Notícias de Helsínquia 3

Bom, na fria e silenciosa Helsínquia os ensaios para a final da Eurovisão continuam, com os apurados de ontem já integrados no lote dos 24 países que iram lutar pela victória amanhã à noite.

Segundo informações enviados pelo nosso "enviado especial", após o último ensaio geral as grandes favoritas são agora a Eslovénia, a Letónia, a Sérvia, a Ucrânia (loucura total em palco) e a Rússia, todas com grandes reacções do público presente no Harthall Arena. Público que reagiu também positivamente aquando das participações dos suecos The Ark e naturalmente, com Hanna Pakarinen, a artista da casa.

Pela negativa o cantor grego Sarbel parece ter desiludido um pouco, com uma prestação vocal fraca, apesar do show em palco resultar visualmente bem.

De todas as Eurovisões a que o Nuno já assistiu ao vivo ele considera esta a pior de todas, não que a organização não seja eficaz mas o ambiente geral é muito, mas mesmo muito calmo e pouco festivo.

Notícias de Helsinquia 2

Bom, segundo o nosso "enviado especial" em Helsinquia o ambiente geral após a semi-final parece ser de alguma desilução...

Dos 10 finalistas apurados a maior surpresa parece ter sido a Moldávia, enquanto que dos países que se ficaram pela semi-final a maior desilusão parece ter sido Andorra.

A prestação portuguesa foi bastante apoiada este ano pelo público que assistiu ao vivo ao espectáculo. A prestação da Sabrina foi bastante apreciada pelos fans e a OGAE Portugal distribuiu bandeiras nacionais pelo Harthall Arena, tornando a presença nacional ainda mais notada.

O recinto não esgotou completamente pelo que 15 minutos antes do show começar foram distribuidos bilhetes de graça!!! No entanto a organização está a portar-se à altura do evento. O público da casa é um pouco frio...

Em relação a favoritos a Ucrânia continua liderar. O Nuno acha no entanto que para o ano iremos para os Balcãs, mais concretamente para a Eslovénia.

The 2007 semi-final

What a show!

This was the best semi-final ever, many high quality songs, with powerfull performances. The stage is indeed small but it works ok in television. The hosts have a nive chemistry between them and the portuguese commentators speek a little too much...

Highligts and some lows of the evening:

1. Bulgaria: Powerfull song, with an amazing instrumental track. Elitsa's voice was a little too nervous...

3. Cyprus: Very professional performance from a true ESC Diva.

4. Belarus: Koldun was one of the best singers of the night and gave a excellent performance of is magic song.

6. Georgia: I like this song but on stage it seem like there was something extra missing...

8. Switzerland: New member of the "Kate Ryan club". Bad vocal performance.

9. Moldova: Powerfull song but average performance from Natalia Barbu.

12. Denmark: This could have been a lot better. DQ is too "clean".

15. Servia: Perhaps the best song of the nigh, sung by the amazing Marija.

17. Portugal: The best Portuguese entry in years. We have nothing to he ashamed of. Sabrina deserves our congratulations!

18. FYR Macedonia: Its good to have so many neighbours...

22. Hungary: I didn't like this song much but the performance was very very good.

25. Slovenia: Opera diva, stage show was not amazing but just ok. Alenka was a bit too relaxed.

26. Turkey: Excellent performance, it made Europe shake and shake...

28. Latvia: Good song, good performance, charismatic singers!

Helsinki calling

A Eurovisão todos os anos celebra a música europeia. Por esta altura, já todos terão visto os ensaios no youtube e terão dado uma espreitadela nas apostas.
Por aqui, a Eurovisão vive-se de uma maneira pacata, tal como a vida no resto da cidade. Os jornais falam da Eurovisão, há ecrãns nas ruas e bastante publicidade. Nos jornais fala-se da Sabrina como sendo uma presença positiva, alegre e com uma actuação arrojada. As pessoas conhecem-na e referem-se a ela como uma das mais bonitas. Mas será que conquista a Europa? Veremos dentro de algumas horas.
A canção de que todos falam é, sem dúvida, a cancão de Andorra. Tem conquistado muitos apoiantes pela força que tem demonstrado nas actuações. Onde quer que os Anonymous vão, tornam-se o centro das atenções. Mas conseguirá reunir votos suficientes para a final?
Com carta verde para a final parecem estar as cancões da Bielorussia e da Sérvia.
No Euroclube, passam as músicas do costume, Dime, Invincible e afins. Quanto às deste ano, Sabrina, parece que só a pedido. Mas, de cada vez que a nossa canção é tocada, ouve-se 4 ou 5 vezes a canção da Ucrania. Parece que para o ano a cidade anfitriã será Kiev. O entusiasmo é total, a coreografia pegou e todos a dançam.
Mas esta noite, na Semi-Final, tudo aponta para a existência de muitas surpresas. Bom espectáculo desde a fria Helsinquia!!!

Este texto é da autoria do Nuno Valério, que é assim uma espécie de enviado especial deste blog ao Festival Eurovisão da Canção 2007.

My top 10 favourites and my guess for tonights semi-final. Updated

My top 10 for the semi-final:

* Bulgaria
* Belarus
* Iceland
* Georgia
* Moldova
* Serbia
* Czech Republic
* Andorra
* Turkey
* Latvia

Who will really be in the final:

* Bulgaria (right)
* Belarus (right)
* Switzerland (failed)
* Croatia (failed)
* Serbia (right)
* FYR Macedonia (right)
* Andorra (failed)
* Slovenia (right)
* Turkey (right)
* Latvia (right)

So I got 7 right and 3 songs wrong... Not bad!

Who's affraid of Verka Serduchka?

TANZEN!

Ukraine is now the big favourite to win Eurovision 2007. The boys from Anonymous are also well appreciated in Helsinki! Will we be going to Kiev or Andorra la Vella? What about Beograd 2008?

Visit eurovision.tv for more pics, videos and news from Helsinki!

I Love Finland: Pump pump

Let your hip go hippety pump pump
That's the way we dance 'til we die.. ay ay ay...

Let your hip go hippety pump pump
Give me shivers all down my spine... ay ay ay...

I love Finland: Lapponia

The biggest scream ever in the Eurovision.

The singer is the amazing Monica Aspelund.

Rehearsing in Helsinki part II

Some say it's looking great, others say it's still awfull and has no chances at all...

The giant fans are still there!

Visit: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/ for more reviews and pics!

Taking a closer look at this years stars: Anonymous

Anonymous is a young band like its members: Niki, Potter and Gallego.
The group was created in Andorra in 2004 when some school friends decided to form a band following the example of their idols Blink 182 and Sum 41. Since then the band has found its place in the Principality and has won a large number of teenage fans.
Their concerts at the opening of the Games of the Small States in 2005 and their performances in clubs around the country have been the finest introduction for Anonymous.
The group is also introducing itself, little by little, into the Spanish music panorama, with appearances in various communication media. At the end of 2006 the group made a tour around Catalonia, opening the concerts given by Falling Kids, one of the latest emerging teenage punk bands in Spain. They are currently placed at number 3 in the Spanish singles chart with their Eurovision song Salvem el món.
Competition is something they are also used to, they have taken part successfully in Global Battle of the Bands in which they came second, and in the Emergenza Festival.

Success is growing for Annymous and first stop on their voyage will be the Eurovision Song Contest, where they hope to infect us all with their hopes and wishes for a better world.

.

(This text was only possible because of the help of Nuno Valério)

Rehearsing in Helsinki part I

Who the hell come up with the ideia of using giant fans?

Overall and from what I can see in this video it was a good rehearsal, Sabrina seems to be very confidant on stage. The dance routine seems a bit messy... And the stage appears to be very small.

Visit: http://www.12points.tv/v2/12points.asp for more pics and videos from Portugal and other countries.

Lisbon ... dancing

Country: Portugal

Performer: Sabrina

Song: Dança comigo (vem ser feliz)

Music by: Emanuel

Lyrics by: Emanuel, Tó Maria Vinhas

Review: I saved the best for last... or maybe not!

It has been more them 10 years since Portugal last ended in the top 10. Recent entries have drop more and more into the last places of the semi-final and have not ended last (with zero points) because we still have some diaspora voting.

This year will hopefully mark the begining of a new era, it's the first time for a very long period that we have a professional production team behind our song.

Dança comigo is a cute latin pop song, sang by a cute female singer called Sabrina. It's not a great song (not that bad either) and the singer is average. Sabrina's voice sounds a bit flat on the studio versions of the song so I prefer the live versions. I know she sangs a bit off key sometimes but the song sounds more "alive"!

The performance promises to be at the same level with the other songs, with a couple of professional dancers and some "caliente" moves... Just hope it won't be too over the top.

There is of course no chance for us in the semi-final, we still have a long way to go if we want to improve our Eurovision resuts, so for now anything above 15th place would be a great result in my opinion.

Lisbon calling London

Country: United Kingdom

Performers: Scooch

Song: Flying the flag (for you)

Music by: Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill, Paul Tarry, Russ Spencer

Lyrics by: Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill, Paul Tarry, Russ Spencer

Review: Once upon a time there was a bubblegum dance group called Scooch that despite some chart sucess rapidly retired.

This year they decided to come back, older, gayer and fatter, to try to conquer Europe. The first victim of their very camp and tottally old-fashioned song Flying the flag (for you) was a cute French girl singing a Scotish song. They will now fly to Helsinki where they hope to save the british honour in the Eurovision Song Contest after years of bad results...

The performance will surrelly be original but I cant see this doing very well, the song its a bit borring and doesn't stay in our memory for a long time... Quality is not a word we can use associated with the U.K. this year. Bring Daz back!